Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-08-25
The Most Fatal Railroad Accidents

The Most Fatal Railroad Accidents.
The terrible railroad accident on We'd
nesday night las occasioned everywhere
debate as to the comparative fatality in
previous railway disasters. One hears
constant mention of Ashtabula, and next
perhaps the Tay bridge tragedy in Scot
land seems TO have taken hold of the
popular imagination. Neither of these
oalamities, however, comes up TO that
near Chatsworth, so far at least of loss of
life and injury To person go. At Ashta-
bula bridge over hundred persisted by
drowning, burning, and in other ways.
The horror of the thing was what made
the calamity so fearfully memorable.
Few were killed outright. 1t was mass
of human beings pinned down to watch.
In the full possession of their faculties,
the approach of the flames that would
consume them In the case of the Tay
bridge, where a passenger train was
blown in hurricane bodily into the sea,
not soul surviving TO tell The tale, there
Is certain awfulness that impresses US,
but there is no shuddering at any agony
OF suffering. About seventy-four lives
vera lost. The disaster which stands
prs-eminent for fatality in railway records
occurred on the Morelos road, Mexico.
through the fall of bridge near Cuortla.
In this accident, which happened in Feb
ruary 1881, over two hundred lives were
lost. Bridge accidents have been numer-
GUS and disastrous. A memorial one oc.
Cured in January, 1878, to a party of ex-
cursionsts returning from Moody and
Sankey meeting on the Connecticut West
ern road, A bridge over the Pennington
river gave way and thirteen persons were
crushed to death and drowned aud thirty.
three Others injured. Excursion trains
have been frequently the victims of dis
aster. One of the earliest calamities in
the history of railroads took place TO
such train near Versailles, France. IL
was the birthday of King Louis Philippe,
and holiday makers were returning from
Versailles to Paris. An axle broke and
horrible holocaust was the consequence.
Thee carriages with locked doors were
piled on burning mass of debris, and
more than fifty persons were burned be-
fore the eyes OF the spectators looking
helplessly on. As many more
were injured. Whole families persisted.
An accident occurred at Campbell station.
twelve miles from Philadelphia, which
surpasses, a. regards fatality, that in
France. II happened July II, 1886, to n
train carrying eleven hundred children on
Sunday school picnic with their teach
ers and friends. Five cars we're harmed
and sixty-six persons perished The in
jured numbered more than one hundred,
Here, an excursion train running against
time came on singe-track road in col,
az nit ru,. 4
is full of similar disasters, too numerous
TO admit OF specific reference. In 1873,
at Wollaston, Mass, large party of OK
cursionists, returning from rowing
match on special train, got derailed.
Six forward cars were either thrown
wholly 20 the one side or TO the other or
crushed between two locomotives and the
rear of the train. Nineteen persons per
ished and fifty we're injured.
The causes of the accidents on railways
are notso numerous as might be Supposed,
but the most disastrous in the country
are apt 60 occur TO bridges. This ia not
the case in Great Britain. In period OF
six years, under the heading of "Failures
Of Tunnels Bridges, Vieducts, and Cul-
vents, whilst in Great Britain, twenty.
nine accidents are returned, ia America
for the same period, under similar
heading, l66 casualties are ranged. Eng
lish collisions are mostly traoeablo to
constant oyercrowding, whilst American
derailments and bridge accidents are dis
tipotly referable TO the inferior construc-
ton of our roadbeds
II is curious to notice, in connection
with the railroads, that in some years
there is comparative immunity from dis
aster, whilst in others there occur con.
slant succession of serious calamities.
This year the railroad companies are 80
far experiencing rotable illustration of
the adage that IL never rains but IL
pours.